I just viewed some photos of the 2003, I did not see any rails / or bars for the roof rack, did mazda get rid of the roof system? Although I removed mine - what are they going to put up there to generate more NOISE!
That car has a St Catharines dealer plate thingy. Im from Toronto and St Catherines is near here. My point is Canadian P5 dont have the roof racks, so we cant judge the USA P5 with that photo
The roof rack looks nice for this type of car, but I wish it had been an option on US cars. I will most likely never use it, and could have done without it, but Mazda has made it a b**** to completely take off (rails and all) I'd do it if it were something easily done, and from the outside only.
Are roof racks on cars illegal in the Great White North? I find it a tad strange that a manufacturer would go to the trouble to make the vehicle that much different if there wasn't a law involved. Or is it an import law that makes the rackless P5 cheaper (or more expensive). The Subaru Brat was able to beat truck import laws by having a pair of plastic seats bolted in the bed, thus making it a car instead of a truck. Jim
Are the 2003 racks the same as the original (and just as noisy)?
I love the rack, and use it every month, but I sure wish it would SHUT UP at freeway speeds, especially on a long drive - Mazda sure "missed the boat" when engineering the one I have.
I have an 03. The racks appear to be the same as the other models.
I Test drove it without the racks. Dealer said they dont put them on because of the wind noise during test drives.
So the next day i put the racks on & drove on the highway.
ya...its noisy. Especially when i hit 80..thats when the whistle starts!! It's also when the music gets turned up, so i hear nothing! .
8^)
the US roof rack comes standard but its highly incompatible with most Thule/Yakima accesories, making it virtually useless. In Canada, although the rack is not standard, the one that cam be fitted is Made by Thule and therefore you can use most acessories. You'd think Mazda designers lived in a cave for the past 15 yrs not making a roof rack adaptable to THule/YAkima.
its simple.....if you are wanting to take off the uprights and the cross bars.....just look in your manual...the instructions are in there...
to give you the readers digest version.....look at the rack where it attaches to the rail...there is a HOLE in the plastic piece...there is a screw in the bottom of that hole...remove that screw and the plastic cover comes off of that upright....then it exposes the screws that holds the upright to the rain on the roof....remove the screws and then remove the rack from the roof....
then you take the pieces that came with your car and snap them in place and it covers the hole where the rack was removed....and makes the total rail look smoothe from front to back.